Civil Audit of Active Transparency of Government  (CAATOG)
July 1, 2011 – October 1, 2012
Financed by grant from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe

Goal of the project: To address problems with active transparency and accountability of government bodies AIP will continue the monitoring on the active disclosure of information online; will analyze the situation with public registers and disseminate knowledge among the more active users – journalists, strengthening its country network; will share experience with members of Freedom of Information Advocates Network partner organizations specialized in monitoring.     

To achieve the goal of the project AIP will implement the following activities:

1. Special survey with regard to public registers and launch of an online interactive handbook
2. Trainings of journalists on how to use public registers and on institutional obligations for active publication
3. Audit on institutional web sites with regard to obligations for active disclosure of public information on the base of developed criteria and indicators and analysis of the result
4. Systematization and analysis of advocacy work of AIP for improving the situation of access to information – annual report Access to Information in Bulgaria
5. Organization and holding a Monitoring Conference to share experience with FOI Advocates Network organizations.

Expected results:

• Improved Access to Public Information Act implementation and information provision practices;
• More public information available on the web sites of public institutions;
• Decreased number of information requests registered in the annual Report on the State of the Administration;
• Increased accountability and transparency of public institutions;
• Increased public awareness on the right of information for good governance;
• Developed skills among information seekers, especially journalists, on how to use their right of access to information and actively disclosed information in their work;
• More active exercise of the right of access to information by citizens, journalists and NGOs;
• Increased number of legal consultations provided by AIP legal team to information seekers;
• Increased expert and organizational capacity of AIP team and its network.

Achieved results:

Read: AIP Created and Launched www.publicregisters.info by AIP Executive Director published in the December 2011 issue of AIP Monthly Newsletter, disseminated electronically to 2,300 subscribers.

AIP Presented the 2012 Active Transparency Rating and the Public Registers Portal in Bulgaria On April 4, 2012, at a press conference at the Bulgarian News Agency, Access to Information Programme presented the 2012 Active Transparency Rating and the Public Registers Portal in Bulgaria. The two surveys are made within the implementation of the project Civil Audit of Active Transparency of Government, supported by a grant from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.

On March 30, 2012 in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry - town of Vratsa, AIP held a training with journalists on how to use public registers and on public bodies obligations for active publication of information. Local media journalists from Vidin, Pleven, and Montana also took part. Gergana Jouleva, AIP Executive Director, presented the results from the 2012 audit on institutional web sites with regard to obligations for active disclosure of public information performed by AIP and the special web portal www.publicregisters.info. Alexander Kashumov, Head of AIP legal team, presented cases assisted by AIP legal team, in which public registers were successfully used by journalists in their investigations. Ivan Mihalev, Editor in Capital weekly, shared his experience in using public registers for investigations. The training was the second out of 7 planned in the country. The first was held in in Kyustendil on March 16, 2012. The next will be held in the towns of Plovdiv (April 20), Kardzhali (May 18), Veliko Tarnovo (June 29), Sliven (July 13) and Shumen (July 20). The trainings are held within the framework of the project Civil Audit of Active Transparency of Government (CAATOG) supported by a grant from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.

On March 16, 2012 in Hotel Strimon Spa, the town of Kyuistendil, AIP held a training with journalists on how to use public registers and on public bodies obligations for active publication. Journalists from Kyustendil, Pernik and Blagoevrgad local media took part. 

Gergana Jouleva, AIP Executive Director, presented the results from the 2012 audit on institutional web sites with regard to obligations for active disclosure of public information performed by AIP. Alexander Kashumov, Head of AIP legal team, presented cases assisted by AIP legal team, in which public registers were successfully used by journalists in their investigations. Ivan Mihalev, Editor in Capital weekly, shared his experience in using public registers for investigations.

The training was the first out of 7 planned in the country - the next will be held in the towns of Vratsa (March 30), Plovdiv (April 20), Kardzhali (May 18), Veliko Tarnovo (June 29), Sliven (July 13) and Shumen (July 20). The trainings are held within the framework of the project Civil Audit of Active Transparency of Government  (CAATOG) supported by a grant from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.